# What if nobody ran for (U.S.) president? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 24, 2001, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-nobody-ran-for-u-s-president/51537 "2001-01-24T12:52:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fatherjohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@fatherjohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fatherjohn)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-nobody-ran-for-u-s-president/51537/1 "2001-01-24T12:52:51Z")
How would they select a president? ---
**Author:** ![Akatsukami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea666f/32.png) [@Akatsukami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akatsukami)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-nobody-ran-for-u-s-president/51537/2 "2001-01-24T13:03:22Z")
Two possibilities:[list=1][li]The states would return slates of uncommitted electors. When the Electoral College voted, they would vote for whomever they pleased.[/li]If no electors were returned, or no one had a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives would choose a President (and the Senate a Vice President).[/list=1] ---
**Author:** ![TheThill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheThill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheThill)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-nobody-ran-for-u-s-president/51537/3 "2001-01-24T13:13:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fatherjohn \* > \*\*How would they select a president? > \*\* Probably with less problems than this time around. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-nobody-ran-for-u-s-president/51537/4 "2001-01-24T13:46:26Z")
A better question: what if no one qualified ran? Then the answer: you’d get a contest like Bush vs Gore. Seems to me that you have to be power-crazy to want be President. The hassels of the election, the cost, the exposure of every past misdeed, the press prying into every corner of your life… No sane person would want the job. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-nobody-ran-for-u-s-president/51537/5 "2001-01-24T14:49:14Z")
Then [Wavy Gravy](http://www.nobodyforpresident.org/) would be our president, and the world would be a better place. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-nobody-ran-for-u-s-president/51537/6 "2001-01-24T16:55:26Z")
We’d have an all-write-in election, actually elect Bill the Cat, and have a constitutional crisis concerning a cartoon character taking office, not to mention arguments about whether or not he’s 35 (is that in cat years or human years?). This is a question like “what would you do if all the water sitting in a glass on the counter suddenly jumped straight up in the air?”. Theoretically possible if all the molecules decided to move the same way at once, but I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for it to happen. The phenomemena with the glass of water may be more probable, come to think of it. ---
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-nobody-ran-for-u-s-president/51537/7 "2001-01-24T19:13:41Z")
I think there will always be someone willing to run. Maybe we should ask, what if we had an election and nobody voted? ---
**Author:** ![slackerboss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@slackerboss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slackerboss)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-nobody-ran-for-u-s-president/51537/8 "2001-01-24T20:04:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hazel \* > \*\*Maybe we should ask, what if we had an election and nobody voted? \*\* If no one voted, then it would be a tie and no one would have the majority. When this happens, the House of Representatives would vote on which candidate they want to be president. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-nobody-ran-for-u-s-president/51537/9 "2001-01-24T21:52:14Z")
Same as Campaign 2000; let the Supreme Court elect the President.